Boot holster adapted pants

ABSTRACT

A long leg pants construction defined by a heavy duty zipper disposed on the inner seam of at least one leg of said pants. Said zipper is configured to zip down from the knee area of the pant leg to and through the bottom of the pant leg. When zipped up, the heavy duty zipper is relatively indistinguishable from the rest of the pant leg. A user wishing to access a firearm in a boot holster is only required to grab the zipper located near the knee area of the pant leg and push it down until the firearm is revealed. As such, the pant leg inner seam zipper facilitates the rapid access to a firearm in a boot holster.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

This invention relates generally to an article of clothing adapted toworn on the lower portion of a user and, more particularly, to full legpants having a zipper disposed on the inside leg seam.

2. Description of the Prior Art

Pants constructed to have a zipper which runs from a location in thefront area of waistband to a location near inseam (or inside seam orinside leg seam) are well known. It has long been understood that such aconstruct for pants with a substantially fixed waist size is desirableto make it easier to put on, remove in whole or in part, or otherwisemanipulate the pants around the midsection of the user. Further, it isnot uncommon to see zippers at pocket openings to allow a pocket to besealed and other areas on pants for fashion purposes.

Boot (or ankle) holsters for firearms are also well known as a storageand securing apparatus for a firearm. Boot holsters are typically wornaround a user's ankle or laced into a user's boot and provide a pocketin which a firearm can be stored and/or locked in a manner which keepsthe firearm on the body of the wearer.

A problem which exists is evident whenever a user wearing full leg pantsand a boot holster tries to access a firearm located in the bootholster. As the leg circumference of typical long leg pants is fixed andthe leg length would in near every case extend beyond a properly mountedboot holster, the only option typically available for accessing afirearm in a boot holster to a wearer of long leg pants is to lift andhold the pant leg above the boot holster in order to grab the firearm.Such a time consuming and awkward movement requirement can be bothfrustrating and dangerous during emergency situations and evennon-emergency situations. Thus, there is a need for a structuralconfiguration of long leg pants which would allow easier, more direct,and safer access to a firearm in a boot holster. It would be helpful forsuch a configuration to be relatively discreet so as to essentiallyblend in with the leg of pants. It would be additionally desirable forsuch a configuration to employ a reliable and easy to actuate means ofaccessing a firearm without requiring removal or active holding up ofthe affected pant leg.

The Applicant's invention described herein provides for a long leg pantsconstruction wherein a zipper is disposed on the inner seam of pant leg.The primary components of Applicant's boot holster adapted pants areconventional pants and a zipper on the leg of the pants configured tozip down said leg. When in operation, the pant leg inner seam zipperfacilitates rapid and direct access to a firearm in a boot holster. As aresult, many of the limitations imposed by the structure of existinglong leg pants when used with boot holsters are removed.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Boot holster adapted pants defined by a heavy duty zipper disposed onthe inner seam of at least one leg of a pair of long leg pants (a pairof pants referring to a conventional pant structure worn by one user).The zipper is configured to zip down from the knee area of the pant legto and through the bottom of the pant leg. As such, the zipper allows auser to directly and safely access a boot holster.

When zipped up, the heavy duty zipper is relatively indistinguishablefrom the rest of the pant leg. This is particularly the case if, as inan alternate embodiment of the present invention, a flap is provided toconceal the zipper. A user wishing to access a firearm in a boot holsteris only required to grab the zipper located near the knee area of thepant leg and push it down until the firearm is revealed. In this manner,it is understood that a user need only unzip the zipper to a point whichis required to reach in, access the firearm, and pull it out. Despitethe same, the user can unzip the zipper fully to access or store thefirearm if the user so desires.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a structuralconfiguration of long leg pants which allows easier, more direct, andsafer access to a firearm in a boot holster.

It is another object of this invention to provide such a configurationwhich was relatively discreet so as to essentially blend in with the legof pants.

It is yet another object of this invention to employ a reliable and easyto actuate means of accessing a firearm through such a configuration ofpants that does not require removal or active holding up of the affectedpant leg.

These and other objects will be apparent to one of skill in the art.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a front elevational view of boot holster adapted pants builtin accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present inventionwith the zipper zipped.

FIG. 2 is a front elevational view of boot holster adapted pants builtin accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present inventionwith the zipper unzipped.

FIG. 3 is a front elevational view of boot holster adapted pants builtin accordance with an alternate embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Referring now to the drawings and in particular FIG. 1, boot holsteradapted pants 10 built in accordance with the preferred embodiment ofthe present invention are shown comprising a conventional pair of pants12 and a zipper 11 disposed on the inner seam of one leg of the pants11. As with conventional pants, the pair of pants 11 provides a pantsmeans for wearing on the lower portion of a user's body and typicallyincludes a waistband connected to a pair of leg members extending fromsaid waistband, wherein each leg member includes an inseam, a proximalend disposed substantially at the waistband connection and a distal enddisposed at the bottom of the leg member opposite the waistbandconnection, as well as a central area disposed between the proximal endand the distal end. The zipper 11, which is disposed over part of theinseam of the pant leg, zips open by user actuation in an openingdirection 13, which opens the inseam over which it is disposed and zipsclosed by user actuation in a closing direction 14, which closes thepart of the inseam over which it is disposed. As such, it supplies ameans for selectively fastening an inseam.

Referring now to FIG. 2, the zipper 11 of the boot holster adapted pants10 is shown unzipped into a first portion 11 a and a second portion 11b. Each portion of the zipper 12 remains connected at one end to oneside of the inner seam of the pants 12 and because the portions of thezipper have been separated, the inner seam of the pants 12 are likewiseseparated to reveal an access gap 15. It is through the access gap 15that a user wearing boot holster adapted pants 10 can access a firearmin a boot holster being worn by the user.

A user wearing boot holster adapted pants 10 and a boot holster willtypically wear the pants 10 in the configuration depicted in FIG. 1. Thezipper 11 may be visible in the configuration, but would still tend toblend in to the pants 10 upon a cursory glance. In an alternateembodiment, the zipper 11 could be disposed beneath a flap as manyzippers on pants are customarily.

Thus, a user having a firearm in a boot holster being worn under bootholster adapted pants 10 will wear the pants 10 as people customarilywear long leg parts. Whenever the user desires to access a firearm inthe boot holster, or at least desires to prepare to access the firearm,the user merely zips the zipper 11 in the opening direction 13 until thefirearm is revealed in the access gap 15 or until the zipper 11 iszipped all the way down as depicted in FIG. 2. Once in thisconfiguration, the user can readily and safely access the firearm in theboot holster at any time. Once the user no longer requires access to thefirearm in the boot holster, the user zips the zipper 11 in the closingdirection 14 until the zipper is all the way up, as depicted in FIG. 1.

Referring now to FIG. 3, an alternate embodiment of the boot holsteradapted pants 20 is shown comprising a conventional pair of pants 22 anda first zipper 21 a disposed on the inner seam of one leg of the pants22 and a second zipper 21 b disposed on the inner seam of the other legof the pants 22. The alternate embodiment of the boot holster adaptedpants 20 operates as the boot holster adapted pants 10 built inaccordance with the preferred embodiment, except that the first zipper21 a and the second 21 b operate independent of each other to provideaccess to a boot holster which may be located on the respective pant legon which they are disposed.

In another alternate embodiment, an alternate fastening system isemployed. It is specifically contemplated that selectively engagingfastener systems, including hook and loop fasteners and a series buttonfasteners, may be employed.

The instant invention has been shown and described herein in what isconsidered to be the most practical and preferred embodiment. It isrecognized, however, that departures may be made therefrom within thescope of the invention and that obvious modifications will occur to aperson skilled in the art.

What is claimed is:
 1. Boot holster adapted pants comprising: a pair ofpants comprising a waistband connected to two leg members extending fromsaid waistband, wherein each leg member includes an inseam, a proximalend disposed substantially at the waistband connection and a distal enddisposed at the bottom of the leg member opposite the waistbandconnection, as well as a central area disposed between the proximal endand the distal end; and at least one selectively engaging fastenersystem, wherein the inseam of at least one leg member is configured suchthat a portion of that inseam is defined by the fastener system and thefastener system can be selectively engaged by a user to close and openthe portion of the inseam defined by the fastener system.
 2. The bootholster adapted pants of claim 1, wherein the inseam of at least one legmember is defined by the fastener system from at least the distal end ofleg member to the central portion of the leg member.
 3. The boot holsteradapted pants of claim 1, wherein the fastener system is defined by azipper.
 4. The boot holster adapted pants of claim 1, wherein oneselectively engaging fastener system is employed on each leg member. 5.Boot holster adapted pants comprising: a pants means for wearing on thelower portion of a user's body having at least two pants legs eachhaving an inseam; and a means for selectively fastening an inseamdisposed on at least one pant leg.
 6. The boot holster adapted pants ofclaim 5, wherein one of said means for selectively fastening an inseamis disposed on each pant leg.
 7. A method of accessing a firearm in aboot holster mounted on the leg of a user through long leg pants,comprising the steps of: providing a firearm in a boot holster mountedon the leg of a user; providing a pair of pants comprising a waistbandconnected to two leg members extending from said waistband, wherein eachleg member includes an inseam, a proximal end disposed substantially atthe waistband connection and a distal end disposed at the bottom of theleg member opposite the waistband connection, as well as a central areadisposed between the proximal end and the distal end; providing at leastone selectively engaging fastener system, wherein the inseam of at leastthe leg member covering the boot holster is configured such that aportion of that inseam is defined by the fastener system and thefastener system can be selectively engaged by a user to close and openthe portion of the inseam defined by the fastener system; anddisengaging the fastener system in a manner which opens the portion ofthe inseam between the distal end and the central portion and uncoversthe boot holster.